Excellent Teachers

  • Neva Ransom

    Neva Ransom - Hixson Middle School

    Watch the podcast  Neva Ransom

    Hixson Middle School math teacher Neva Ransom believes in using a variety of strategies to reach students. Test scores are going up in her classes, and she credits some of this success to her work with the Public Education Foundation. “PEF has challenged us to make thinkers out of our students,” says Ransom. “I do this in part by asking my students tough questions that require them to explain their answers.”

    Ransom also uses ThinkLink scores to challenge her students and help focus her instruction. ThinkLink is a test that was put in place through middle school reform work between Hamilton County schools and PEF. Students take ThinkLink tests several times a year leading up to the final TCAP exam in April, which allows both teacher and students to track what students have successfully mastered and what they still need to learn. This gives teachers like Ransom an opportunity to go back and re-teach topics that students didn’t understand, and lets students know where they need to work harder.

    Visit Neva Ransom’s Excellent Classroom at Hixson Middle School math teacher Neva Ransom believes in using a variety of strategies to reach students. Test scores are going up in her classes, and she credits some of this success to her work with the Public Education Foundation. “PEF has challenged us to make thinkers out of our students,” says Ransom. “I do this in part by asking my students tough questions that require them to explain their answers.”

    Ransom also uses ThinkLink scores to challenge her students and help focus her instruction. ThinkLink is a test that was put in place through middle school reform work between Hamilton County schools and PEF. Students take ThinkLink tests several times a year leading up to the final TCAP exam in April, which allows both teacher and students to track what students have successfully mastered and what they still need to learn. This gives teachers like Ransom an opportunity to go back and re-teach topics that students didn’t understand, and lets students know where they need to work harder.

    Visit www.pefchattanooga.org/ExcellentTeachers to take a peek into this dynamic middle school classroom.

  • Mary Holland

    Mary Holland - Woodmore Elementary

    Watch the podcast  Mary Holland

    Mary Holland’s biggest fans are the teachers down the hall. Mary is lead math teacher at Woodmore Elementary and teaches in a model classroom. This means that she spends half of her day teaching students directly – a class she shares with lead language teacher Jessie Schmidt – and the rest of the day giving support to other teachers at Woodmore who are working to provide great math instruction to their students.

    “She is amazing,” says new teacher Jessica Herrington. “I work really hard to put together great lessons for my students, but sometimes it just doesn’t get through. When that happens, Mary will come to my class and help me find new ways to approach the lesson. She has a lot of knowledge about math, and she knows the right language to help the children understand it. I don’t know if I could have survived my first year of teaching without her!”

    “My favorite thing is working with new teachers,” says Holland. “They are eager for all the help they can get and are very open to suggestions and new ideas.”

    “I love teaching math content,” she adds, “and I always use several different strategies on each topic because different strategies work with different students. I want my students to love and understand math when they leave this classroom.”

    See her success and meet some of her students by visiting www.pefchattanooga.org/ExcellentTeachers.

  • Michelle Lowe

    Wallace A. Smith Elementary School

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Michelle Lowe

    If you love to teach science, but you’re scheduled to teach reading, you can solve the dilemma by teaching your students to read about science.
    That’s what Michelle Lowe does in her 2nd grade class at Wallace A. Smith Elementary school. On-going science projects fill every available space in the room. Boiled eggs process in cups of water and vinegar; tea bags steep; butter melts under a heat lamp (in contrast with the wooden block that seems somehow unfazed by the lamp); and plastic bags full of green Oobleck, otherwise known as slime, sit on the shelves. Books accompany each of these projects with topics like Dr. Seuss’ Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and Why Does Ice Melt?

    The day we visited, students were dropping various sorts of items into water to see what would happen. They started with gravel, went to tissue paper, then sugar, and ended with seltzer tablets. THAT got a big reaction –both from the water and from the 2nd graders.

    “It’s hard to find time for science,” says Lowe, “but I do everything I can to weave it into my reading and math instruction because the students get so much out of it. It’s hands on and engaging for them, and they learn better that way.”

    Lowe also finds that small groups, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning boost her classroom success.

    For a fun trip to a truly dynamic 2nd grade classroom, visit Michelle Lowe’s Excellent Classroom at www.pefchattanooga.org/ExcellentTeachers.

  • Dianne Kelehear

    Ooltewah High School

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Dianne Kelehear

    "It's really hard. I love it."
    It's not every day that you hear those two thoughts together, but it was a recurring theme as we talked with Diane Kelehear's students at Ooltewah High School. These students were taking Anatomy and Physiology - an elective that has the reputation of being one of the hardest classes in school. Clearly, they were smart kids who like to be challenged. Some were taking the class because they want to pursue medicine or science, but many just thought it would be interesting.

    Kelehear knows that her class is hard. "This is really college-level work," she says, "though they don't get college credit for it." But she uses several strategies to keep her students engaged and learning at this high level. For one thing, the class is very hands-on. Students dissect animals that have similar muscular structure to humans, and, the day we visited, were drawing construction-paper human muscles and pasting them on one another to get a better understanding of just how they work.

    Kelehear also offers several different ways for students to approach their lessons - either by using flash cards, charts, or other methods that work best for each individual student. "Everyone has a different way of learning," she explains. "I encourage them to find the method that works best for them. That will help them not only in this class but when they get to college and do more studying on their own."

    Anatomy and physiology are subjects that require a lot of memorization, but both teacher and students agree that the hard thinking and hands-on application that Kelehear uses in class help students go beyond memorization and really learn the material - in a way that will go with them throughout their lives.

    Learn more as you visit Dianne Kelehear's Excellent Classroom, and tell us your own story of an excellent teacher!

  • Erica Schmidt

    Tyner Middle Academy

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Erica Schmidtr

    Kids used to get in trouble for talking in class.
    Not so if one's teacher is Erica Schmidt. Schmidt's students at Tyner Middle Academy can frequently be found talking to their neighbors - though there's no time for idle gossip. "I set up mathematical dyads (a pair of students)," says Schmidt. "Partner A explains what he or she thinks the answer is, while partner B listens. Then they'll switch. This helps both students - the one who is talking must be able to explain his or her position, which deepens understanding of that position. The one who's listening has a broader experience by being exposed to another way of thinking about the problem."

    She adds: "I sometimes ask the listening partner to explain to me what the first partner said. To do that they have to listen very carefully, which is a valuable skill for them to learn."

    Schmidt offers challenging assignments that make her students think hard about their answers. Her class hums with activity and every student is involved and deeply engaged in discussion - about math.

    Learn more by visiting Erica Schmidt's Excellent Classroom, and leave a story for the rest of us about your own experience with a great teacher!

  • Theresa Custer

    Clifton Hills Elementary

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Theresa Custer

    When I visited the classroom of Model Classroom Teacher Theresa Custer at Clifton Hills Elementary, two of her students – in separate interviews – explained to me proudly and cheerfully that Ms. Custer gives them extra work when they finish their assignments before the rest of the class. The message was loud and clear: these students wanted to learn everything they could, and they definitely didn’t like to be bored.

    Meanwhile, in Custer’s classroom of 5th graders, students were blowing up balloons with the carbon dioxide created from mixing vinegar and baking soda. “We’re cheating today,” she tells her students. “This is 8th grade work, but we’re going to do it in 5th grade.” Clearly her students were enjoying the project – and they were amazingly trustworthy with something that could have led to a big mess. Custer believes in setting high standards for her students, and she is an expert at differentiated instruction – delivering her lesson not just to the middle, but in a way that reaches every student at an appropriate level. Students who are struggling will get the same type of problem as everyone else, but the numbers might be simpler. Students who catch on quickly will be given additional, more challenging work.

    Clearly, Theresa Custer has created an environment that makes her students hungry to learn, and eager for challenges. Visit Theresa Custer’s Excellent Classroom– you will definitely be impressed.

  • Michael McKamey

    East Lake Academy

    Watch the podcast  Mr. Michael McKamey

    I never expected to hear it.
    I was at East Lake Academy when a teacher turned to 7th grade math teacher Michael McKamey and said, “I tried that idea you suggested, and it worked really well. I wasn’t going to give homework that night, but the kids enjoyed it so much they asked for more problems to work on at home!”

    McKamey uses sports analogies to make his class relevant to his students, and dodges giving them a simple answer to a problem. Instead, when they ask a question he asks a question back, leading them to think the problem through and find the answer for themselves. He encourages the class to discuss their answers as a group and explain why they think an answer is right or wrong. This helps them to a deeper understanding of the subject, says McKamey.

    McKamey loves teaching, and feels like it is the place he was meant to be. His students and fellow teachers agree. Visit Michael McKamey’s Excellent Classroom and learn more.

  • Leon Rice

    Brainerd High School

    Watch the podcast  Mr. Leon

    Chef Leon Rice looked at me – very politely – as if I were crazy. I had asked him how he teaches higher-level thinking skills to his students in the culinary arts academy at Brainerd High School. “Running a restaurant is all about problem-solving,” explained Rice. “Dealing with customers, adjusting for equipment that malfunctions, developing a business plan that keeps the restaurant paying for itself…it’s all hands-on, applied knowledge that teaches real world skills in leadership and decision-making.”

    Yep. Those would be higher-level thinking skills.

    “When I say this is a student-run restaurant, I mean it’s a student-run restaurant,” says Rice. “Students cook and serve the food, but they also develop business plans, evaluate what sells or doesn’t, plan the menus, work with me to inventory and order food, and keep things running smoothly.”

    Clearly, Rice has complete confidence in his students. He had no qualms about chatting with me in the dining room while students kept orders flowing in the kitchen. Student “front-room” and “back-room” managers oversaw the work. And the food was incredible. (Thursdays and Fridays, 10:30 – 12:40. Open to the public. Drive behind the school and look for Bistro signs.)

    So how does running a restaurant help students with their academic work, I asked. “Working in the Bistro makes it clear to students that they need math, science and literacy skills,” says Rice. “Plus those problem-solving skills I mentioned help them in other subjects.” Not to mention the fact that he stresses to his students the importance of good grades, and meets with their other teachers to gauge progress.

    Rice, a well-established chef, was initially reluctant to become a teacher. Now he loves teaching, and does everything he can to make sure that his students are prepared for success in life – in the restaurant business or elsewhere. Visit the Brainerd High Bistro and Leon Rice’s Excellent Classroom.

  • Rhonda Lehman-Fraley

    North Hamilton County Elementary

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Fraley

    It was agonizing. Third-grade teacher Rhonda Lehman-Fraley started reading a poem about a squished squirrel, got us all interested, and then stopped – right in the middle. If we wanted to learn how it ended, well, we’d just have to pull that book out of the basket in the back of the room when we had some free time for reading. (I cheated – I looked on the internet when I got back to the office.)

    “Oh, yes, they’ll look for the book,” says Lehman-Fraley of her students at North Hamilton County Elementary. “I’m working on getting them to read more poetry, and this will get them back to that basket.”

    Besides cliff-hanging her listeners without mercy, the aspect of this classroom that stands out is constant collaboration. Lehman-Fraley is a lead teacher at North Hamilton County, which means she spends half of her day building collaboration among teachers. This same principle of sharing great ideas works for students, according to Lehman-Fraley, and she applies it in every facet of her teaching.

    For instance, the children broke into small groups to conduct research and build shadow-box habitats of the rain forest, the desert or the oceans. They were excited, they were engaged, and they were learning from one another.

    When her students are working on a project like this, Lehman-Fraley assigns the same project to herself, and invites the children to critique her work. She chose to create a new game for her habitat project, and the children helped her evaluate her progress. “If I model the lesson for them, it teaches them that adults have to go through the same thinking processes that we’re asking them to use in their work. Are the rules of my game clear and easy to follow? Have I chosen words and a design that make my game look like something someone would want to play? They collaborate with me to make my work better.”

    The children also collaborate by discussing the question at hand with their neighbors. Then, together, they offer suggestions to help Ms. Lehman-Fraley with her project.

    Take a peek at some very impressive natural habitats and see inside Rhonda Lehman-Fraley’s Excellent Classroom. You might even read a poem about a squished squirrel.

  • Allan Ledford

    Center for Creative Arts

    Watch the podcast  Mr. Ledford

    Allan Ledford decided to become a teacher because he loved high school.

    And now, he’s passed that on so that his students love high school, too – more than any other students we’ve ever seen.  Watching the faces of  Ledford’s students at Center for Creative Arts (CCA), one can see that they are (more) engaged.  They are passionate.  They can’t wait for summers to end so they can return to school.  Every child should love school as much as Allan Ledford’s students do. 

    Granted, his students are having fun – in one class segment the whole group created a crowded street scene of shopping in New York City, while another involved roller-blading in class – but they are also working incredibly hard.   They spend long hours rehearsing after school and perfecting their performances, and this spills over to their core subjects.

    “The discipline CCA students learn from performing helps in their academic work,” explains Principal Debbie Smith.  “They know that they have to get it done, and they have to get it right.”  A glance at CCA’s academic scores backs this up – 93% of students graduate; 100% of students passed the 2009 Gateway English exam with 93% scoring advanced;  and the lowest scores for the school are on the Algebra Gateway, where 89% passed the test and “only” 66% scored advanced!

    Allan’s dedication is clear.  When we spoke with him, he was rehearsing for a Student Showcase; for a February school production of Mame; and the Choo Choo Kids were in the midst of their busy performance calendar.  Rehearsals of one production or another last until 7 almost every night.  Allan admits to getting tired sometimes, and says he doesn’t always love school quite as much as he used to.  What he does love, though, is helping create passion in his students.  And perhaps it is that at which he is best.

    Visit Allan Ledford’s excellent classroom  – and you may want to return to high school!

  • Jeff Paulson

    Thrasher Elementary

    Watch the podcast  Mr. Paulson

    Jeff Paulson is a thinker.

    When asked about his motivations and strategies as an educator, Paulson cites Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) and George Orwell (1984) and their predictions about the effects of technology on our society. He leans towards Huxley and his fears that we will be so entertained, so overwhelmed by information, that we will stop thinking for ourselves.

    So, using technology as a tool, Paulson works hard to make sure that his fourth-grade students learn to think for themselves. His students create PowerPoint presentations and reports that they place on a Wikispace page that he has prepared just for them. They do research and write plays based on what they have learned, videotape themselves acting out the lessons and post those videos on the class wiki page.

    This has created so much excitement, motivation and engagement for students that other teachers are venturing into the world of technology, too. Paulson generously shares his knowledge and ideas, and in his role as one of two Lead Teachers at Thrasher, has half the day to work with other teachers demonstrating these and other strategies for other classrooms at Thrasher.

    “This works both ways,” Paulson quickly points out. “Many of the teachers at Thrasher have been here longer than I have,” he says. “They have generously mentored me over the years, and I am constantly picking up great ideas from each of them. Collaboration is everywhere at Thrasher.”

    Visit Jeff Paulson’s 4th grade classroom at Thrasher. You can see a brief demonstration of his classroom’s wiki page, and tune in to a longer, very thoughtful interview with Jeff as he describes his philosophy of teaching.

    We were very impressed by our visit to Thrasher Elementary, and we know you will be, too.

  • Danielle Lillie

    Red Bank Elementary

    Watch the podcast  Ms. Hynes

    In Danielle Lillie’s fifth grade class at Red Bank Elementary, at any given moment one might find teacher and students standing on their chairs, waving their arms and counting loudly by threes or sevens, or chanting about the workings of the digestive system.

    We visited Ms. Lillie’s class during a lesson on “Halloween math” - she was using gummy spooks, bats and pumpkins to practice skills such as estimation, divisibility, and graphing. Her students described her class as fun, and teacher and students all agreed that a fun class helped them pay attention, and by paying attention it helped them remember their lessons.

    Across the hall, Star Willis’ class was doing the same lesson. Ms. Willis talked about the collaboration among all the 5th grade teachers, and the particularly close collaboration she shares with Ms. Lillie. She is a firm believer that such collaboration – and the sharing of great ideas – does much to make both classes better than either would be alone.

    But it’s not all about fun. When we spoke with Lillie’s students, they also talked about how much she cares about them, and how important that is to them. We had a heart-warming conversation with these fifth graders, and, since we interviewed them when Ms. Lillie was not present, we created a special video so that we could share their comments with her – and with you. Join us for a visit to Danielle Lillie’s Excellent Fifth Grade Classroom, and then watch a supplemental video of interviews with three delightful students from that class in “Ms. Lillie is the best teacher ever!”

  • Penny Hynes

     

    Hixson Elementary

    Watch the podcast Ms. Hynes

    “We’ve turned the first grade hallway into an ocean.”

    That’s what Hixson Elementary first grade teacher Penny Hynes told me when we spoke on the phone. Sure enough, there were crab, starfish, jellyfish, sea otters and even a very large whale on the deep blue papered walls of Hixson Elementary. Even better, these sea creatures represented math, science, language and social studies lessons – all tied together to give students continuity, relevance, and a deeper understanding of the subjects at hand.

    Ms. Hynes has long been a believer in the power of “thematic units” focused on science topics. This year, however, all four of the first-grade teachers at Hixson joined together in this project, and were aided by librarian Jennifer Fields and music teacher Priscilla Estrada, both of whom used their time with the first-graders to share books, music and projects that focused on the seas. “It’s just a wonderful family of first-grade teachers and related arts teachers working together to make learning exciting for the children,” says Hynes. She credits the Benwood Initiative and its focus on collaboration with helping encourage the team effort that led to such positive results.

    TThe ocean study culminated in a lot of excitement on a Thursday afternoon at the end of the first quarter, with a celebration including sea critter costumes and parents bearing seafood dishes, followed by a Friday field trip to the Aquarium.

    We spoke with the grandmother of a very impressive jellyfish, and tried to speak with an excited octopus, but he clammed up when he got on camera. Nonetheless, we know you’ll be impressed by our video featuring Penny Hynes' Excellent Classroom.

  • Dionne Upton

     

    East Brainerd Elementary

    Watch the podcast Mr. Dotzler

    Dionne Upton brought a bag of trash to class and turned it into gold.

    Introducing the concept of inference to her 3rd graders at East Brainerd Elementary School, one item at a time Upton produced an Ace bandage, a Lean Cuisine box, a Carnival cruise billet and various other receipts and magazines to help her class speculate about the nature of the trash’s owners. She encouraged students to discuss each item with a partner, then called on various pairs to give their conclusions – based on their background knowledge and the evidence produced.

    Hands were flying the whole time we were in her classroom, with students so eager to participate that they could hardly sit still – a sure sign of an engaged class. But Upton doesn’t just call on the ones who know the answer. She keeps track of who is responding and who’s not, and makes sure she calls on every student, gently coaxing him or her to think about the question at hand. This technique, called “differentiated instruction,” is one trait of an excellent teacher. Differentiated instruction is hard. Instead of writing a lesson that targets the middle, a teacher tailors her lesson to an appropriate level for each child. Questions are simplified or re-worded for children who are struggling to understand, and children who grasp the concept quickly are encouraged to think farther on a more challenging level. Upton does this smoothly and constantly as she moves through her lesson.

    That is one reason that Dionne Upton is lead literacy teacher at East Brainerd. As a lead teacher (also known as a model classroom teacher), Upton teaches a class of children during the morning, then spends the rest of the day supporting and offering advice to other teachers in her building. The lead math teacher at East Brainerd, Lori DeCordova, does the same thing on a reverse schedule. It’s a powerful system for spreading excellence to every classroom.

    We had a great time in Dionne Upton’s class. Join us for a brief peek through a video podcast here.

  • Dustin Dotzler

     

    Hardy Elementary

    Watch the podcast Mr. Dotzler

    I often ask teachers how they teach higher-level thinking skills. Hardy Elementary music teacher Dustin Dotzler had a quick response: "Everything we DO in music is higher-level!" says Dustin. "This is where the students apply what they learn in other classes – they read, interpret, write music, and even do math and social studies."

    Sure enough, there was "music math" on Mr. Dotzler's white board. Students were asked to add, subtract, multiply and divide whole notes by half notes and quarter notes, substituting the number of beats assigned to each symbol for that symbol. In other words, they were learning algebra. In music class. Go figure.

    Dustin works hard to find out what other Hardy teachers are teaching so his music class can reinforce their work. For example, he teaches a science unit on how sound is made, covers the Star Spangled Banner when social studies classes are studying the War of 1812, and asks his students to use musical "word wall" vocabulary words to write about pictures of people making music.

    Dustin is one of many excellent teachers in Hamilton County schools. As a Leadership Fellow and former Osborne Fellow, he credits the Public Education Foundation for giving him many of the tools he uses to help his students succeed. He even uses these skills to help the entire district – Dustin was just re-elected as President of Hamilton County's General Music Teachers Group.

    Take a video peek into Dustin's classroom here. You'll be inspired to cheer on all the excellent teachers who are working hard to help your child succeed in school.


  • Elaine Harper

    Red Bank High School

    Ms. Harper Watch the podcast

    Elaine Harper loves her work. 

    She spent a recent day encouraging her students to create geysers of Mentos and Diet Coke and evaluate which combinations of candy and soda climbed highest up the outside wall of the gym at Red Bank High School. Diet Dr. Pepper won big at 14.5 feet.

    Ms. Harper's Advanced Chemistry class was clearly engaged and having fun with this project, but that wasn't the point. Her students were learning about research methods – how to develop an hypothesis, isolate variables, conduct research, analyze results and arrive at conclusions.

    "I hate science. That's my least favorite subject," says Nahomi Ortiz. "But (Ms. Harper) is an amazing teacher. She knows what she's doing and she makes it into a simple way that anyone can understand. So, even though I hate science, I'm actually liking chemistry. It's exciting ….I'm probably thinking of doing more science, especially if it's chemistry or physics."

    Clearly dedicated to excellence, Elaine Harper strongly feels that sharing ideas with other teachers has improved her classroom. "As part of our structure here at Red Bank, every month we participate in one peer observation (where one teacher sits in on the class of another). I've picked up ideas from teachers I've observed, and I've picked up ideas from teachers who have observed my class and offered suggestions. Red Bank has a really solid staff and it's a great place to teach."

    These peer observations were developed as part of Red Bank's improvement plans through Schools for a New Society, a reform initiative brought about by a partnership between PEF and Hamilton County schools.

    "Teaching can be very isolating," says Ms. Harper. "The opportunity for us to share ideas makes us all stronger, and allows us to do much more to challenge our students and help them develop higher-level thinking skills."

    Elaine Harper is one of many excellent teachers in Hamilton County schools. Watch our video podcast here and see why.


There are excellent teachers in every school in Hamilton County.

We want to introduce you to twenty excellent teachers. They represent the many excellent teachers who work in every school in Hamilton County.

These are not the easiest teachers. They aren't always the warmest, fuzziest teachers. Instead, they are teachers who challenge our children, stimulate their minds, believe in them, make them work hard, and make them proud of their work.

Over the course of the 2009-10 school year, PEF Director of Communications Frances Haman-Prewitt visited the classrooms of each of these twenty teachers.  Share those visits through short videos and read about these excellent teachers above. You'll be touched, you'll be amused, and you'll definitely be impressed!

Please share your story of an excellent teacher using the form below.

 

 

Bookmark and Share

Excellent Teachers

PEF is a local non-profit dedicated to improving student achievement in Hamilton County Schools Get Involved

“Due to the funds that were provided… …for us by the Benwood Initiative, we’ve been able to provide some of the best research-based workshops for our teachers to implement reading strategies in the classroom, and we’ve established a literacy block which is two hours per day, every day, for all of our students.”
Marthel Young
Principal,
Orchard Knob Elementary